Audio 3:03
Locals lament the lot of loved ones

Sarah HawkeUpdated
Thu 5 Sep 2013, 3:18 PM AEST

As the United States firms up its position on Syria, Australians with relatives caught up in the conflict are becoming increasingly anxious about the plight of their loved ones. One family in Sydney is so worried that it's flying to Turkey to try to get medicines and other humanitarian supplies across the border to relatives in Aleppo in Syria's north-west. Dr Anas Natfaji and his wife Aya tell The World Today they lost contact with their family a week ago.

Transcript

ELEANOR HALL: As the United States firms up its position on Syria, Australians with relatives in the country are becoming increasingly anxious.

One family from Sydney lost contact with their relatives in Aleppo a week ago and now it's flying into Turkey today to try to get medicines and other items across the border.

Dr Anas Natfaji and his wife Aya say they are afraid that the Assad regime has cut communications in the city, which has veered between rebel and regime control.

Sarah Hawke has our report.

SARAH HAWKE: From the living room of his home at Georges Hall in Sydney's south-west, Dr Anas Natfaji tries to ring his in-laws in Aleppo.

(Sound of phone dialling out)

ANAS NATFAJI: It just disconnects...

SARAH HAWKE: Again there's no connection.

AYA NATFAJI: So this is the landline in Aleppo and it was there up until a week ago.

SARAH HAWKE: His wife Aya has been urging her elderly parents to flee the war-torn city. Now that contact's been lost, she's consumed by worry.

AYA NATFAJI: I'm very sad, I'm crying all the time because I've tried maybe thousands of times, but no connection, no internet, no calls, yep.

SARAH HAWKE: There are many ways Syrian families keep in touch. Dr Natfaji has been using the phone and online applications like Skype.

ANAS NATFAJI: Since the news about the possible strike from the USA, all sorts of communication has been cut off by the regime so we can't contact them at all.

SARAH HAWKE: As momentum builds in the West for a military strike on Syria, contact with families seems even more important.

AYA NATFAJI: The last seven days has been very, very emotional and very anxious, knowing that there might be an attack coming soon and not being able to contact your loved ones.

SARAH HAWKE: Despite having no contact, Anas and Aya Natfaji are determined to help their family. They've packed boxes of goods and medicines.

Today they'll fly to Turkey and they'll try to get the boxes into Aleppo.

AYA NATFAJI: There is some medications for, because there is a couple of family members who have got chronic diseases and they're running out of medications.

SARAH HAWKE: So you'll actually go to the border, what to one of the crossing points, and see if you can get the medicines and other gifts across the border that way?

AYA NATFAJI: In simple ways, I've made some contacts for people who are crossing the borders.

SARAH HAWKE: While she'll be so much closer to her parents and siblings, Aya concedes it's unlikely she'll see them.

AYA NATFAJI: I hope to see them when I go to Turkey but I think it's hard, there are snipers on the way, it's very hard, so I feel that it's hard to push them to go there.

SARAH HAWKE: Reflecting on the wider political front ahead of the trip, Dr Natfaji believes Western intervention may be the only way to end the bloodshed.

ANAS NATFAJI: It's tragic to think that someone will be bombing your country, but how can we stop a dictator from using chemical weapons and continue to kill and kill and kill?